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The 'Hawaiian' pizza got its name from the brand of canned pineapples they used.

Panopoulos and his pizza creation came into the limelight earlier this year when Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson suggested he would ban pineapple on pizza if he could.

Johannesson later clarified, saying: 'I like pineapples, just not on pizza... For pizzas, I recommend seafood.'

His comments caused plenty of controversy on social media, where people either came out in full support of pineapples on pizza or completely despise the dish.

Panopoulos and his two brothers ran several successful restaurants together in Canada, including the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, pictured, where they invented Hawaiian pizza

Panopoulos told BBC in February: 'We just put it on, just for the fun of it, see how it was going to taste... We tried it first, [then] passed it to some customers. And a couple of months later, they’re going crazy about it, so we put it on the menu'

Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his opinion on Twitter in February.

He wrote: 'I have a pineapple. I have a pizza. And I stand behind this delicious Southwestern Ontario creation. #TeamPineapple'.

Panopoulos is survived by his wife of 50 years, his two children and their spouses and his four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his two brothers Elias and Nikitas.

According to his obituary, Panopoulos had an 'unforgettable personality'.

'Sam was respected by many for providing strong and dependable advice, and for his exceedingly generous nature.

'Fiercely loyal and protective, his candid and frank sense of humor, his booming laugh and blunt honesty will be missed by his family, friends, former employees and customers.'

His funeral will be held Monday morning.

When he spoke with BBC in February about the creation of the Hawaiian pizza, he told the outlet that he was just 'glad we came up with something people like to eat'.